The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) announced last month that Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA) has been granted full accreditation.

Lynchburg, VA (Vocus) March 11, 2010 — The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) announced last month that Liberty University Online (www.luonline.com) Academy (LUOA) has been granted full accreditation. The five-year accreditation is a major milestone for Liberty University’s most recent online educational venture for grades 3-12.

Now in its third year of operation, LUOA is quickly receiving recognition as a quality option for parents seeking Christian online homeschooling education for their children. For the 2009-2010 school year, 700 students are enrolled in LUOA, residing in 46 states and 11 foreign countries.

“We knew when we launched the online academy that our first goal was to achieve accreditation as quickly as possible,” said Jay Spencer, Dean of LUOA. “To do so within the first two years is testimony to the quality work put into the foundation of the academy.”

In a special ceremony on Feb. 21 at the Virginia Annual Winter School Improvement Conference in Williamsburg, Va., LUOA Superintendent Harvey Klamm was presented the Academy’s Certificate of Accreditation from SACS. The organization’s State Director, Hilda Kelly, praised Klamm “for his leadership in working with his staff in meeting the SACS CASI standards and for taking the initiative to be nationally accredited.”

Online schools that receive this accreditation earn the external mark of quality by the globally accepted AdvancEd Accreditation Commission, verification of compliance with high educational standards and professional support as the school engages in its ongoing school improvement process.

LUOA students benefit from accreditation because, through the process, their school commits to raising student performance and will be held accountable for improving student learning on a continual basis. Accreditation also raises the school’s credibility, improving students’ eligibility for college and making it easier for them to transfer credits, secure funding and find employment.

On Feb. 23, LUOA announced that it would be partnering with private schools that wish to use LUOA curricula. This will allow private schools with limited resources to add curricula without adding instructors or additional tuition cost.

In addition, Liberty University Online Academy benefits from the relationship with Liberty University. All Liberty University Online Academy students receive a scholarship to attend Liberty University.

High school juniors and seniors may also get a head start on their college education by enrolling in online college courses offered via Liberty University Online. Through this program, a student can earn college credits in a variety of subjects. The tuition for these courses is the same as the Online Academy rather than the regular university tuition fee. This means students could earn several college credits while earning high school credits, and students can save thousands of dollars on tuition in addition to savings on other fees like room and board.

About Liberty University Online

Established in 1971, Liberty University pioneered distance education in 1985 and is now the largest and fastest-growing Christian university in the world. Today, Liberty University Online hosts more than 45,000 distance learners and has the highest retention and graduation rates among top online universities. Liberty offers more than 40 accredited degree programs, from Associate to Doctoral, and 90 areas of specialization, all taught from a Christian perspective. For more information, visit www.luonline.com, or call (800) 424-9595.